Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1230

In the days following the mass summoning, there were many changes around Avalon, both big and small.

After Gawain and Galahad had the opportunity to experience the memory link, their impression of Vahn had changed drastically. The latter even sought him out during one of his recreational periods, pledging his service to the Empire. In turn, Vahn granted him Knighthood, tasking Galahad with the duty of protecting, not just the Imperial Family, but Avalon's peoples.

As for Gawain, he began observing the training of the Homunculi and, after getting permission from Vahn, Kenshin, and the Homunculi themselves, he formed a squad to train as Knights of the Interior. Their numbers were rather small, at only twenty members, but he intended to train them all as full-fledged Knights within the next two years. It would normally take much longer but, with memories inherited through thousands of years, combined with naturally high combat capabilities, they were like extremely malleable clay.

Because of Gawain's position as Grand Marshall, he also took it upon himself to work alongside the leadership within the Homunculi. He didn't treat them as tools, nor did he looked down upon them. Instead, he took their input seriously and worked alongside them to come up with a better system to manage and maintain the castle. They also came up with a rotation for practicing defensive battle formations and how they should react during the event of an emergency. Prior to this, the Empire had no emergency response protocol and, as there would one day be residents depending on their protection, it was better to lay the groundwork now than be caught off guard later.

With Gawain acting as Artoria's proxy in the past, he was extremely familiar with the management of a Kingdom. Though he would have to adapt to Vahn's method of governance, he still had a strong grasp on what needed to be addressed before the first Court was held. This was one of the reasons he had been chosen in the current batch of summons. With Vahn and Artoria often busy with other affairs, they needed someone with experience to manage the castle and its territories.

Vahn was genuinely impressed with how proactive Gawain was in his duties, even if it was somewhat troubling to have messengers seek him out when he was trying to relax. There had even been a few instances where he had been busy tending to one of his lovers, earning Gawain a reputation among some of the girls as a nuisance. This led to Vahn having to coax them after the fact as, while he was equally as annoyed, he understood that Gawain was just doing his duty. If they had a better system for administration, many tasks could be delegated to other people but, at least for the time being, it was his responsibility to approve the majority of changes happening within the Empire.

Fortunately, Vahn didn't have to constantly move between the Projection and the real world as, for better or worse, Gareth was very enthusiastic about her duties. He had given her the Imperial Seal after recovering it from Luvia, as the latter didn't need it for the time being. She was more interested in preparing for childbirth and, using this commonality, getting a little closer to Da Vinci and, to a much lesser extent, Nobunaga.

With the Imperial Seal in hand, Gareth would relay messages on his behalf before returning with a beaming smile on her face. She really was like a puppy in a lot of ways and, after spending a few days 'training' with Fenrir, Vahn felt she had actually gotten even worse. Even before he had pat her head the first time, she would lean towards him, clearly expecting a reward after completing a given task. As a result, it became a common exchange between them and, for a variety of different reasons, Gareth even came to reside within the Menagerie alongside Fenrir, Medusa, and Circe.

Before she had taken up residence inside the rather peculiar room, Gareth had occupied the small servant chamber attached to Vahn's bedroom. She would dutifully wait to accompany him almost everywhere he went, including his training sessions with Scáthach. Though she was not allowed to come inside, this resulted in Gareth waiting outside for upwards of 40 hours at times. This was a bit worrisome so, while he was busy with other tasks, Vahn had Gareth continue studying under Fenrir until her nature and living habits changed.

Under the careful 'guidance' of Fenrir, it only took a single day-cycle before Gareth, with upturned eyes, practically begged him for the Familia Crest. Since Vahn didn't really have any qualms about this arrangement, he had readily accepted the request. What he didn't expect was for Gareth to try and shimmy out of her clothes on the spot, resulting in him giving her head a light chop before following it up with a short reprimand. After that, they moved to the Medical Ward before Vahn had Gareth change into a pair of shorts with a cloth that covered her chest but exposed her back.

When Gareth had appeared to have her crest applied, Vahn couldn't help but exhale a sigh, even if there was a glimmer of appreciation in his eyes. Despite her petite figure, Gareth's body hadn't been behind in its development in the slightest. Though it was hard to discern in her normal attire, her breasts were approaching the limits of a B-Cup while, wearing shorts, it was very obvious her other assets had developed just as well. Since she had a completely defenseless nature, Vahn felt a little guilty to look at her in such a manner but, after his discussion with Artoria, it was hard not to.

Fortunately, the application of the crest went without a hitch, despite Gareth's body fidgetting about periodically. She was much like Mordred in that regard, being unable to sit still for very long, but this wasn't much of a challenge for Vahn. He had carved his Familia Crest thousands of times at this point so, rather than find it annoying, her movements made the process slightly more enjoyable. When he was finished, he ruffled her hair for a bit before sending her off to get changed as, after a while, she seemed to be mustering up the courage to 'pounce' on him.

After receiving the Familia Crest, Gareth began using the time when he was busy to complete Quests and train alongside Fenrir. This training had little to do with combat, however, and often took on the form of learning more about Vahn and his habits. She also shadowed Fenrir to watch over Mordred and Sakura, allowing her to grow closer to the two girls. Though there had been some tension, in the beginning, it didn't take long for Mordred and Gareth to open up to each other. As for Sakura, she generally got along with everyone, so there were no issues on that front.

Rather, the bigger problem occurred when Vahn came to learn that both Mash and Sakura seemed rather 'fond' of Galahad after the latter began training them. As it was his nature to protect others, which was also the goal of Mash and Sakura, they were rather dedicated to their training once he took up the position as Knight Instructor. Mordred even teased Sakura about having a crush on the 'Shield Bastard', earning her a lecture from Artoria when Sakura 'snitched' on her.

Vahn wasn't surprised by the fact that Mash might develop feelings towards Galahad, as she nearly reached adulthood, but he couldn't help feeling a little troubled about Sakura's puppy love. Though he didn't have to worry about Galahad doing anything, he was worried about his daughter's mental development since she was only eight years old. If not for Rin personally telling him not to mind it, as it was very common for young girls to develop crushes at Sakura's age, Vahn might have had to sit down and talk with the pale-haired Knight...

Fortunately, this was the limit of Vahn's worries regarding his daughters as, while Gawain had a bit of trouble at first, neither he nor Galahad showed any hostility towards Mordred. Vahn had even asked Alaya to show him their Strings of Fate, allowing him to confirm there was slight resentment, but no desire to cause harm. Since Mordred had literally killed him, after staging a rebellion, Vahn couldn't exactly blame Gawain for having such thoughts. The fact he was able to bury them down and still do his duties caused Vahn to regard him with high esteem.

As for the other new residents of Avalon, including Karna and Heracles' family, Vahn didn't have to worry about them much at all. Karna usually spent his days simply sitting atop one of the Magus Towers, observing all of Avalon with his stoic gaze. Though he had a few collisions with Artoria, Siegfried, Kenshin, Heracles, and even Scáthach, this wasn't really much of a surprise.

In the end, Karna lost to both Artoria and Scáthach, for obvious reasons, but, much to Vahn's surprise, he easily won again Kenshin and Siegfried. Even this didn't surprise him nearly as much as the replay of the battle between him and Heracles, however. Their battle had waged for nearly five hours as, despite Karna's apparent mastery over every kind of weapon, Heracles had a similar ability. They even had their own forms of invulnerability, making it hard for either party to get an edge after Heracles began to adapt to Karna's attacks.

Ultimately, Karna's invulnerability outlasted Heracles' as, despite [God Hand] almost feeling like a cheat, it had a major weakness against Holy and Anti-Divine armaments. With Karna possessing the A+ Rank Anti-Divine Noble Phantasm, [Brahmastra Kundala], he, quite literally, burned through more than half of Heracles' lives. According to Da Vinci, this attack produced nearly 10PJ of energy, putting it in the ballpark of a medium-grade nuclear warhead. Since it also had the classification of an Anti-Country Noble Phantasm, Vahn was once again reminded about how ridiculously overpowered some Heroic Spirits could be...

Despite this, Vahn was looking forward to his own battle against Karna as, with Da Vinic's analysis, he knew his own attacks could reach the same destructive potential. Though the Anti-Divine trait would be annoying to deal with, even this didn't deter him much as, after battling with Scáthach, Vahn felt no fear towards any opponent.

Even Karna's most powerful Noble Phantasm, [Vasavi Shakti], capable of even killing Gods, wouldn't be able to put him down. Fortunately, he didn't have to worry about Karna using this final trump card as, in exchange for almost absolute power, he would permanently lose his invulnerability. It was also a single-use Noble Phantasm, meaning he would only ever use it in the final moments of his life after deciding his opponent was 'worthy' of its unstoppable might...

After the battle had come to an end, Heracles had praised Karna's strength and, during that same evening, the two drank as friends alongside Siegfried and Vahn. Galahad and Gawain had also been invited but, as could be expected, they both refused the informal gathering. Since Vahn didn't want to force them, he didn't mind the matter too much. He was more troubled by the fact that Gareth had followed him, taking the responsibility of pouring his drinks as Alex attended almost everyone else alone. She even wore a bartender's outfit, albeit after substituting the slacks with a pleated skirt.

During this gathering, Vahn learned from Heracles that his family had settled near the eastern end of the castle town, closest to the port. Things had been going surprisingly well for them as, despite the horror of the tragedy, Megara didn't blame her husband. She knew he was not in control of his own actions at the time. Since both of her sons had also been returned to her, she was more concerned about Heracles' mental wellness than forcing him to seek forgiveness.

Thus, since the time of Megara's summoning, the two spent most of their time together, much like when they had first wed. The only time Heracles was away from her side was when he was looking after his sons, teaching them how to sail, dive, and fish. Though he formerly had the status of a King, making both of his sons Princes, Heracles wanted a simpler life for them so they would not grow up to be haughty and undisciplined. Since being a fisherman or a farmer were the most humble trades, he had been diligently guiding his sons to be productive citizens of the Empire.

To aid in Heracles' endeavor, and prevent Megara, a former princess, from having to take care of their home all by herself, Vahn later assigned two Homunculi the position of Tutor and Caretaker so that the children wouldn't have a one-sided education. He made it very clear that they were not to be treated as servants, despite what their duties might entail. Since Heracles understood this very well, especially after watching how Vahn ran the Empire for several months, the women ended up becoming good friends with Megara while helping her look after the two boys. Eventually, other Homunculi began to frequent the house, causing a bit of confusion for the young boys due to the presence of so many similar, yet strikingly beautiful, women.

With the Einzbern Homunculi's lifespans being functionally without limit, there was actually a chance some of them might pair up with Heracles' children at some point. It was a rather strange thought to consider, especially with how young the boys were at present, but their lifespans were also close to three-hundred years, even without outside assistance. Since many of the Homunculi were only a few years old themselves, Vahn felt the odds weren't all that unfavorable to the young Demigods. He even learned from Heracles that his older son, Therimachus, was quite taken with the 'larger' of the two Homunculi who had originally come to assist his mother...

Just as he resolved himself not to intervene too much with the love lives of his own children, Vahn wasn't going to meddle in the lives of the Homunculi. So long as Heracles' children didn't try and do anything uncouth, he didn't mind if they tried to woo one, or more, of the Homunculi. Though this seemed somewhat unlikely for the time being, as the Homunculi themselves didn't hold too much affection for the two young boys, there was no knowing what the future would hold.

Rather than worry about the affairs of others, Vahn was busy enough just dealing with his own love life. There was now a coalition of sorts within the Inner Sanctum that seemed intent on 'bullying' him as much as he allowed. This originally consisted of Nobunaga, Luvia, Da Vinci, and, by association, Kenshin. After some very concerted efforts, however, their numbers grew to include both Circe and Medusa, despite the fact the latter wasn't pregnant. She, much like Kenshin, had just joined in on the fun after Circe ended up getting pregnant.

Fortunately, despite the fact he was forced to run errands and pamper the girls quite a bit, Vahn was able to find comfort alongside the trio of Rin, Ereshkigal, and Ishtar. His relationship with Olga was also gradually improving, even if it had developed in a 'peculiar' direction after she began spending more time with Lakshmibai. This, combined with the fact he spent many evenings alongside Artoria and Gray, meant Vahn was enjoying life quite a bit. His only constant source of stress was Scáthach's training but, with Gareth always waiting for him dutifully outside of the Training Orb, he was able to bounce back quickly.

The most important development in Vahn's relationships was the rekindling of his relationship with Fenrir. Ever since Sakura had broken her arm, they began spending more time together during their breaks and, with her sometimes training Gareth right in front of him, Vahn had some interesting experiences with the duo. Though he felt like Fenrir was trying to make Gareth her proxy, she was always hard at work and, during the moments they were together, Vahn always felt comfortable and happy.

While walking through the corridors of the Inner Sanctum, Vahn couldn't help but release a silent yawn, despite the fact he felt full of energy. This was noted by Gareth, who had practically become his shadow lately, causing her to ask in her characteristic cheerful tone, "Are you tired, Master~? Do you want me to give you a lap pillow!?" With the latter half of her words exposing her excitement at the thought, Vahn released a light chuckle before musing, "Maybe later..." in a somewhat dismissive tone.

Gareth puffed out her cheeks when she heard Vahn's words but, as if she couldn't hold the same train of thought for more than a few seconds, she quickly returned to her usual cheerful self. This caused Vahn to chuckle again as they continued along their route until reaching the Library in the west-most region. Gareth dutifully stopped outside the doors to wait for Vahn to complete his business, a habit she had picked up a few weeks prior. This had troubled Vahn quite a bit at first, as she had even tried to stand outside the room when he was spending time with his lovers, but he had eventually grown accustomed to her presence.

As usual, Vahn found Iris and Illya inside, not that he had expected them to be elsewhere since he could sense them through his domain. The moment he stepped inside the room, however, a pair of small white ears could be seen from the third floor, attached to a head peeking between the railings. Vahn waved up, causing the figure to scurry to the nearest ladder as Iris began laughing, her voice a sonorous bell that was pleasant to the ears.

After finishing her descent, the pseudo-transformed Illya pounced the remaining distance between the ladder and Vahn, burying her face into his chest as she complained, "You're late!" Vahn couldn't deny this but, rather than admit his wrongdoings, as he had been busy discussing something with Gawain, he just picked Illya up before rubbing his forehead affectionately against hers. This caused her rabbit-like ears to flicker before drooping down as she tried to bite his nose with a pouting expression on her blushing face.

Without minding her ire, Vahn looked toward Iris with a smile, asking, "May I borrow your daughter for a bit?" In response to this, Iris covered her mouth with her hand, showing mock surprise before asking in a teasing tone, "Ara~? Am I not invited this time around? Mou...well, make sure to bring her back in one piece, okay~?" Though she wasn't even remotely upset, Iris was yet another woman who enjoyed teasing Vahn, despite not belonging to the 'coalition'. Since he had grown accustomed to this, Vahn just gave a curt nod before carrying Illya out of the Library, her tail and ears twitching adorably all the while.

At this point, Illya and Cath were around 70% fused with each other, causing her to be somewhat unstable at times. This was a trait she had in common with Circe so, if he didn't spend enough time with her, she would eventually come seeking him. Thus, in order to help Illya stay calm, he usually stuck to a pretty strict schedule while sometimes surprising her when he could. Usually, this was time they would spend together with Iris but, as Illya had previously asked him to help her increase the synchronization between her and Cath, Vahn knew it was somewhat 'dangerous' to have Iris present.

After reuniting with Gareth, who briefly locked eyes with Illya, Vahn carried the latter to her room before dismissing his dutiful Page for a few hours. Despite this, she stood in the corridor outside but, so as not to 'waste' her time, she began doing light exercises like push-ups and squats. This was just another one of her quirks so Vahn largely ignored it as he retreated into the confines of Illya's room. When he reappeared around four hours later, Gareth was covered in a light layer of sweat as she hopped up from doing a set of crunches, wiping her brow with the back of her sleeve before quickly resuming her place at his side. Vahn could only shake his head at this but, rather than reprimand her harshly, he just lightly pat the loyal girl's head, earning a beaming smile from her as they moved to their next destination...

(A/N: One of the fans in my computer busted so I had to spend two hours fixing my PC before writing today. The chapters always come out a bit weird when I'm in a bad mood so I may just write 3-4 Babel today or take a break until the afternoon. Regardless, I'll be trying to increase the output of chapters to 3 EPIC per day starting tomorrow, with a minimum of 1 Babel. I was intending to wait until the Sunday reset but I figure I can just use today to relax a bit before getting a head start on things.)